Major General Donna F. Barbisch, Ret
General Barbisch is among the nation’s most distinguished experts in terrorism, disaster preparedness and national and international security interoperability. Dr. Barbisch is president of Global Deterrence Alternatives and Director of the Institute for Global and Regional Readiness. Her focus is providing policy and program integrating solutions related to the national security threats of terrorism, natural disasters, and emerging infectious diseases. With more than 20 years experience in managing complex private and public, medical and organizational challenges, Dr. Barbisch tackles the complexities of combating terrorism through comprehensive planning and cultural change. She has been described as a visionary in strategic planning for reducing threats and responding to crises with multi-level and multi-jurisdictional elements.
Dr. Barbisch develops and implements holistic management programs that promote interoperability across civilian and military organizations as well as political and business environments that result in strategic partnerships. She is a “peoples” general as she empowers every-day citizens to action. She is a leader, educator, facilitator, and proven agent for change who can build or reform organizational cultures to deal effectively with the ambiguous and unknown challenges in today’s environment.
General Barbisch served in a multitude of active and reserve military assignments from Vietnam to the Pentagon. Her final military assignment was as Director of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Program Integration for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Dr Barbisch has the distinction of completing her doctoral work on the role of the military in domestic bioterrorism in 1999 while most of the country was unaware of the changing threat environment. She lectures to the national and international community on integrating complex policy and programs to improve national capability. She is engaged in numerous think tanks and seminars on national and international public policy, strategic planning and integration. Her multiple professional activities include RAND studies; ANSER, Institute for Homeland Security advisory group; the Metropolitan Washington Bioterrorism Task Force; the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Technical Advisory Committee on Emergency Management, chair Subcommittee on Quarantine; Chair, Reserve Officers Association, Committee on Homeland Security, and a member of the Board of Directors for Humanitarian Aid International Consultants, the Armed Forces Foundation, and Homeland Security Council for the American Board of Forensic Examiners. She is on the faculty of George Washington University and the Army War College.
Dr. Barbisch holds a Bachelors Degree from California University of Pennsylvania, Master in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Doctorate in Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.